Robert McNamara was a cognitive genius; he was one of the “whiz” and “can’t fail” kids — except that he failed (“Robert McNamara, 1916-2009,” Editorial, July 7).

By failing, he wasted much of America’s most precious resource: the young men of this country.

If that wasn’t enough, he took the pride and trust that the people of this nation had in their country and misused it to do what he thought was best. But genius and hubris are a bad mix and a poor substitute for wisdom.

For all of his colossal genius and enormous potential, McNamara was really nothing more than a colossal failure.

J. Facciolo

Rome

***

McNamara and his “whiz kids” were directly responsible for thousands of unnecessary American deaths and imprisonments during the Vietnam war.

They were arrogant and ignorant. They ignored evaluations by combat veterans regarding the McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom and the M-16. They screwed up the air war and allowed North Vietnam to build devastating anti-aircraft sites.

A. Candelmo

Parsippany, NJ

***

Not only did McNamara turn his back on every argument that he made in favor of the Vietnam War and embrace the liturgy of the left, but he also walked on the graves of 60,000 soldiers that he sent to their deaths.

B. Guerra

Cairo

***

Our country would have been a lot better off if McNamara had not been the secretary of defense.

This whiz kid was no genius.

The Kennedy legacy, which McNamara was indelibly part of, proves the wisdom of the common man and the folly of the brightest and best who were hatched at our pristine universities.

Gary Schwartz

Fort Lee, NJ